by Jorge L. Ortiz , USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz , USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK â?? Appearing in the All-Star Game festivities for the first time, Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis handled himself like a veteran, providing thoughtful and candid answers.

One question did briefly throw him Monday, but Kipnis promptly came back with an interesting, nuanced response.

The query: Would he want Alex Rodriguez as a teammate, given what he knows about him?

"It depends on people,'' Kipnis said. "We're already teammates with (Jason) Giambi and we know he went through the whole process and he's not afraid to talk about it. He's very open about it.

"It's just the way they carry themselves, the way they handle themselves. You hear from other guys that have played with him (A-Rod). You know, he's made his own bed that he sleeps in, he makes his decisions. He's still a nice guy. If he still respects his teammates and shows up and plays hard every day.

"I have no problem being teammates with a guy like that. If he doesn't, that's when you start running into problems.''

Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, but only during a three-year stint with the Texas Rangers in the early 2000s. He's one of the players currently under investigation by Major League Baseball for his alleged involvement with the Biogenesis clinic, which has been accused of distributing banned substances. He has denied using PEDs again.

Giambi, who played for the New York Yankees from 2002-2008 and is currently a bench player for the Indians, acknowledged his past steroid use and publicly apologized. His reputation has been restored to the point that the Colorado Rockies considered hiring him as a manager last offseason.